Not everyone will be happy with everything in the plan, but not everything is in the plan. Get it? Not every item, theme and attraction that will go into Phase One of this plan was announced. Several were deliberately left out because they either were still too early in the planning stage or were put off to give more dramatic effect when they are introduced early next year to continually remind Anaheim voters that Disney cares for them and their community. And least we forget that this is Phase One... Phase Two is not scheduled to kick off until 2013 and last another five years. Can you try to fathom what DCA will look like in a decade if this is what it will look like in five years. This ugly duckling is going to grow into a beautiful princess real fast.

So what can we take from yesterday's announcement? Well, the press didn't get everything right. For one thing, the plan for the first five years will not cost 1.1 billion dollars. That's the price of the plan over a decade... more could come later but that is what's been alloted for now and for now is all we should be concerned about. About 700 million of the 1.1 billion plan is what you saw yesterday.

But there is no penny-pinching in this plan. I'll give you an example... remember when Matt Ouimet, the former head of the DL Resort wanted to spruce up the entrance and came up with new frontage that was going to cost 30 million? Well this new entrance will cost two and a half times that! And that's not all, the area will be filled with lavishly mode rides like we and other sites have mentioned. All of which will be topped off by the culmination of the Carsland in 2012. This ride has a ticket cost along the lines of what Indiana Jones had in the mid 90's... and it will be BIG and it will be LAVISH. Trust me, John Lasseter has been paying a great deal of attention to this project which will open around the same time as a sequel to a movie that could have a significant tie in... I wonder what that one could be?

Although it wasn't directly announced, it was addressed that the park could see a name change by the time the tenth anniversary comes around. Several at WDI are wanting to get away from the California chains that have hampered the ability to propose certain projects. Everything from "Walt Disney's California Adventure" to "Disney Adventures Park in California" have been tossed about. There is nothing concrete right now and if they do decide to change the name it will come closer to the tenth so don't expect to hear anything about name changes for a year or two at the earliest.

Now for DCA or whatever they wind up calling it to stop being a drag what has to happen?

Numbers. Clicks. That's what I mean.

People in the park my dear Disney Geeks... and what kind of numbers are we talking about? Well the park is currently pulling less than 7 million a year. This is a modest number and if Disney could get it up to 8 million they'd be very happy. Would this in and of itself cause them to go forward with the Second Phase? No, it wouldn't. For the second part of this grand scheme to move forward the numbers would have to approach 9 million a year. Not an improbable number given the new attractions and entertainment planned for the Second Gate. If these kinds of numbers start to be seen in DCA Iger has already given his blessing to the next 400 million expansion. But based on some of the ambitious designs Bob Weis and his team have discussed with Uncle John that may not be enough. If those numbers hold up, Iger may be willing to add a little more to the pot and make the Second Phase closer to 600-700 million. This is just about as much as the First Phase. Imagine the possibilities! This truly could be a Disney Adventure park in a decade.

So while we may be asking ourselves "Is this what we get for $1.1 billion?"
Well no, this is what we get for $700 million.

"I'm not a literary person. As far as realism is concerned, you can find dirt anyplace you look for it. I'm one of those optimists. There's always a rainbow."- Walt Disney

"I don't care about critics. Critics take themselves too seriously. They think the only way to be noticed and to be the smart guy is to pick and find fault with things. It's the public I'm making pictures for."- Walt Disney

We are gettign a DARN LOT for $700 million. I like what I see and REALLY hope the "new" DCA is a success for Disney. We all benefit from DCA's success.

WALT'S DISNEYLAND DEDICATION SPEECH! - To all who come to this happy place, welcome! Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth can savour the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America, with the hope that it will become a source of joy, and inspiration to all the world.

Comment

We are gettign a DARN LOT for $700 million. I like what I see and REALLY hope the "new" DCA is a success for Disney. We all benefit from DCA's success.

I agree, I agree, and I agree.

I want Phase 2 and in order to accomplish this, Phase 1 needs to be a hit, which I think will be.

"If you build it right, they will come." - Bob Iger

"I'm not a literary person. As far as realism is concerned, you can find dirt anyplace you look for it. I'm one of those optimists. There's always a rainbow."- Walt Disney

"I don't care about critics. Critics take themselves too seriously. They think the only way to be noticed and to be the smart guy is to pick and find fault with things. It's the public I'm making pictures for."- Walt Disney

Comment

I have a feeling that the budget for this remodel of DCA is going to get larger as time goes by. We saw what happened to the budget for Nemo. Things will come up, better ideas will get created along the way, etc. And with people like Lasseter on board he can help urge the "big guys" to approve "a bit more of a raise" in the budget to help make a new effect become bigger and better than what is currently going to get installed.

Comment

I don't know why but this made me chuckle. Just because you think $700 million is a huge amount of money, but it goes so fast in this business.

Very true...

Its amazing how millions of dollars are seen as minimal.

Cmash is probably right, ticket prices for the Resort will jump quite a bit once all is said and done.

"If you build it right, they will come." - Bob Iger

"I'm not a literary person. As far as realism is concerned, you can find dirt anyplace you look for it. I'm one of those optimists. There's always a rainbow."- Walt Disney

"I don't care about critics. Critics take themselves too seriously. They think the only way to be noticed and to be the smart guy is to pick and find fault with things. It's the public I'm making pictures for."- Walt Disney

Cmash is probably right, ticket prices for the Resort will jump quite a bit once all is said and done.

I don't know about ticket prices. If the changes are good enough to get people to buy one day/one park tickets to go to DCA I don't think ticket prices will budge other than the typical increases.

The crowds at the resort have been substantial enough to warrent these changes. So obviously the revenue is already there, I think they just want to more evenly dispurse the crowds between the parks. IMO if you even out the crowds in the parks the guests will wait less in ride lines, and therefor have more time to browse stores and buy food....Disney likes that.

Comment

I don't know about ticket prices. If the changes are good enough to get people to buy one day/one park tickets to go to DCA I don't think ticket prices will budge other than the typical increases.

The crowds at the resort have been substantial enough to warrent these changes. So obviously the revenue is already there, I think they just want to more evenly dispurse the crowds between the parks. IMO if you even out the crowds in the parks the guests will wait less in ride lines, and therefor have more time to browse stores and buy food....Disney likes that.

I agree in concept, but I think Disney will see this as an increase in value and upsell that to the guests, IMO.

"If you build it right, they will come." - Bob Iger

"I'm not a literary person. As far as realism is concerned, you can find dirt anyplace you look for it. I'm one of those optimists. There's always a rainbow."- Walt Disney

"I don't care about critics. Critics take themselves too seriously. They think the only way to be noticed and to be the smart guy is to pick and find fault with things. It's the public I'm making pictures for."- Walt Disney

Comment

I don't know why but this made me chuckle. Just because you think $700 million is a huge amount of money, but it goes so fast in this business.

I'm in theme park mgmt and I know how quickly 700 million goes out the door. So look at what was announced and what else we "know" is coming in phase 1 .... and that's a lot. Carsland and this entrance re-make and the mermaid ride and the lagoon show and changes in the pier. It's not cheap....not at all.

They could save a few dollars and cut the Mickey face from the Sun Wheel. I oppose the Mickey face in case anyone cares. LOL.

WALT'S DISNEYLAND DEDICATION SPEECH! - To all who come to this happy place, welcome! Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth can savour the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America, with the hope that it will become a source of joy, and inspiration to all the world.

Comment

The crowds at the resort have been substantial enough to warrent these changes. So obviously the revenue is already there, I think they just want to more evenly dispurse the crowds between the parks.

crazy talk

The point of adding a second gate was to try to extend people's stays... they don't want to spread the load.. they want to entice more people to come, and when they do, to stay longer, and buy admission to both parks.

The addition of DCA was purely in the footsteps of what they did in florida.. which worked for the goal of increasing the length of stays and INITIALLY worked for bringing in more overall guests. Longer they stay.. the more they'll spend. Later they started to see the unavoidable slip to where one parks attendance would be at the cost of the other.

The problem is recovering the investment. Spending a billion means you have to INCREASE your existing revenues 3-6x that amount (depending on your margins) to even break even. It's going to take many many many years to recover such an investment.

They are spending now so they don't TOTALLY lose when they originally invested and because you can't have a empty shell across from the entrance of DL.

Comment

The point of adding a second gate was to try to extend people's stays... they don't want to spread the load.. they want to entice more people to come, and when they do, to stay longer, and buy admission to both parks.

I agree with that. But from an operational perspective, you have to admit that spreading out the crowds would be good. Example: when DCA closes and the masses come to DL making for crowd control nightmares. People will want to stay longer and buy more stuff if they don't have to constantly fight huge crowds. I know I would.